Mommy Brain

I'd always heard of the legendary "pregnancy brain" and anticipated what effects it would have on me while pregnant.  Sadly, I have few, if any, stories of losing my brain during pregnancy.  Fast forward to after the birth: my brain has officially left the building.

The first place where I notice this loss is with my memory.  Where I used to make mental notes of things to do and things done, now there is a nearly blank slate with only a few smudges remaining on it.  Have I written that thank-you note?  What was it that needed to be done today?  Where did I put that shopping list?  Did I remember to grab the diaper bag or is it still sitting right by the door at home?

The second place where I notice it is in my attention span and ability to concentrate.  Sometimes I'll tune out right in the middle of a conversation.  Then I'll tune back in and have no idea what was being said, leaving me in a very awkward, and potentially embarrassing, situation.  It also leaves me at a loss when I try to pick up a book and read.  I'll do great for a sentence or two and the next thing I know my eyes have made it to the end of the page and my mind has been thinking about laundry or feeding schedules or what to make for supper.  I'll shake it off (sometimes literally), find the place where my mind left off, and continue to read.  I'll make it maybe a paragraph before my mind is wandering again.  The only exceptions, when it comes to books, are fiction books and parenting books.  Go figure...

I wonder why this happens?  Perhaps my mind is so consumed with taking care of a home and baby that there's little room for much else.  Maybe there has been such a steep learning curve and drastic change in our life in the past 3 months that my mind is in a state of shock, shutting down anything that's not completely necessary in order to protect itself from overload.  Who knows?  I do hope that I find my mind again sooner or later, but until then, ... ... um... ... where was I?